There s no getting rid of Egyptian footballer Hossam Hassan. At 40, when most players would be kicking around nothing more than memories, Hassan has been chosen to play in a benefit match in Cape Town on July 18 between an African XI and a Rest of the World team in honor of Nelson Mandela. The date will mark the 89th birthday of the former South African president, Nobel Peace Prize holder and general icon of defiance against racism and oppression.
In football, Hassan, too, is a symbol, one of longevity. In January 2001 he became the most capped soccer player of all time when he made his 151st international appearance in a friendly against Zambia. The record had been held until then by Germany s Lothar Matthaeus, who played his last final at the 2000 European Games in Portugal. So significant was the record that FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, now UEFA president, came to Cairo town specifically to celebrate the occasion. Hassan has since reached 170 international games, but has also since been past by Saudi goalkeeper Mohamed Deayea, with 181 games, and Mexican defender Claudio Suarez, with 178 caps under his belt. Still, Hassan holds on to the arm band awarded to him by Blatter for his staying power.
With the durability has also come 80 international goals, three away from breaking the world record of 83, set by Hungary s Ferenc Puskas. And the second highest number of goals scored in the Egyptian League, 168, just eight less than the all-time leader Hassan El-Shazly.
You would need a sheet of wallpaper to list everything Hassan has done of note on the field from the first time he was capped, against Norway, in 1985. Most titled Egyptian player with 40 crowns; a record seven participations in the African Nations Cup, three of which were won; chosen the third best African player in the continent s history.
Hassan scored the goal that got us into the 1990 World Cup, and caused Egypt s most famous penalty in that World Cup, after being brought down by Ronald Coeman, that allowed Egypt to tie 1-1 with Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkard, the then defending Dutch European champions.
He scored the winning goal, a spectacular, dramatic, and always difficult to achieve bicycle kick, against Saudi Arabia for Egypt to win the 1992 Arab Nations Cup. And he fired Egypt to the 1998 African Nations Cup title with seven goals.
What can you say about a player who s done it all? You could say big deal. Not everybody thinks Hassan is huge. Some say turning out 50 times for Italy or Brazil is a far greater footballing achievement than turning out 1,000 times for Guatemala or Laos. And as for Hassan s goal output, compared globally, it s not much. Romario recently scored his 1,000th goal. And any golden boot winner in Europe nets in the high 20s. Chilavert of Paraguay scored around 50 goals — and he was a goalkeeper.
Then there is the media-flogged persona as a man with a notorious temper, whether with coaches — countrymen or foreigners — at club or national level, with players with or against him, or with himself.
The bad boy of Egyptian football is mellowing. Perhaps it was his crowning as dean of players, or perhaps it is his family and the focus on them. Or perhaps, of course, it is his drive to break another record.
One thing Hassan can never be accused of is being lackadaisical. He plays every game, no matter what the championship and no matter who the opposition, as if it was his last, as if it was the final of the World Cup.
Hassan will not venture into the sunset just yet. He has just signed a LE500,000 a year contract with Ittihad of Alexandria, after coming off seasons with other middle of the road teams Masri and Tersana, following a 19-year involvement with Ahly and Zamalek, the two biggest names in this region. He simply does not care who he s playing for as long as he s playing
